


Before Sunrise

by AMidnightDreary



Series: The Witness [3]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Mind Reading, pure fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-13
Updated: 2018-03-13
Packaged: 2019-03-30 22:45:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13961670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AMidnightDreary/pseuds/AMidnightDreary
Summary: Belle wakes up to find Rumplestiltskin is still sleeping.





	Before Sunrise

**Author's Note:**

> So, this was written rather quickly. I apologize if it's a little bit crappy. xD Anyways, I hope you like it! Let me know what you think!

It wasn't unusual for Belle to wake up before sunrise. Rumplestiltskin, though not really a morning person judging by his morning grumpiness, was always up early due to nightmares or just mere restlessness. His presence roused her quite frequently then, and Belle had gotten used to it already. His thoughts being the first thing _she_ thought when she woke up, that was a fixed point of the routine he didn't know they shared. Well, he hadn't known that before her oh so shocking secret had been revealed. He knew now (but wasn't fully aware of said routine, still.) And he had adapted to her powers surprisingly well until now.

He was still lying next to her when Belle opened her eyes. It was dark in his room, but that didn't tell her much about the time because the curtains in his chambers were still nailed down. Belle hadn't yet found the time to change that, and decided now that that would be the first thing she'd do today. She was sure that Rumplestiltskin wouldn't mind, she didn't even know if he still _cared_ at this point. He had been nothing but kind and confused in the last days. Now and then they had bickered a bit, with them both still being slightly wary of the recent developments, but Belle still believed that they were going to be fine.

It took her a few minutes to realize that Rumple was unusually quiet. The last days he had always nearly lost it when he realized that yes, she had slept the whole night in his bed again, and no, she didn't mind that he had been playing with her hair again, and oh, she liked that he was smiling in that ridiculous way _again_. That had made Belle smile all three times she had awoken next to him.

But now, nothing. Maybe a light grumble, but only when she concentrated. Another minute, and she had figured it out. Another premiere – there had been so many in the last few days. She had never watched him sleep before. His thoughts were rather peaceful and vague, nothing he would remember when he woke up. Belle blinked, trying to see more than silhouettes in the darkness. Rumplestiltskin was lying on his side, facing her. Apparently he used to sleep all curled up, suddenly looking more like a cat than a crocodile. Belle had to bite her lip to keep from giggling (he would have been _enraged_ if he had known about that comparison), and then she lay on her side as well to look at him.

He was indeed sleeping. The first time in four days now, as Belle knew. She had hoped to see him fully undone now, but even in his sleep a hint of his usual ache could be seen on his face, as if he simply wasn't able to unwind. Without thinking Belle raised her hand to brush his hair out of the way to have a better look at his face. The connection that formed when her fingers touched his skin wasn't as overwhelming as usual. It didn't even wake him up, although a slight and quick change in his breathing gave Belle a little start. It was nothing more than a barely audible sigh, and the fact that the tension left his face kept her from withdrawing her hand. She could feel his thoughts now, all muffled and drowsy. She couldn't really say if he dreamed or not, but if he did it wasn't really exciting. The echo of her wonder resonated in his mind, almost like a lullaby that tugged him deeper into the depths of sleep. He wouldn't wake up that soon, and Belle was glad that he could have a few hours of real, restful sleep. Something he hadn't experienced in centuries, probably.

When Belle was sure that he was sleeping even deeper than before, she had the chance to enjoy different things. Like, how his skin felt beneath her fingertips. Oh, she knew that already by now, knew of the slightly rough texture and the surprising warmth. But even after three days of slowly adjusting to the thought that touching was an okay thing to do, the only parts of his body she had touched were his hands. She liked that, of course – even though she hadn't ever really thought that holding hands with the Dark One himself would get to be such a regularity some day. But now it suddenly was, and it shouldn't be as surprising as it was. Belle had known that Rumplestiltskin was positively starved for human affection, but she hadn't been completely aware of that before. Now she was aware, because his presence didn't give her any chance not to. As soon as she was anywhere near him he fought the urge to touch. He looked at her as if he was _addicted_ to her, and as if no touch and no closeness could ever be enough. And so they were touching an awful, marvelous lot these days. He didn't spend much time working in his tower, staying with Belle instead. He had insisted that she didn't need to to chores anymore, and so they were practically wasting away the days, reading in the library or wandering the gardens of the castle on occasion. But whatever they did, they were always holding hands. Rumplestiltskin asked for permission every time, either by thoughts or by words, and and waited for Belle to offer him her hand. It was always her who initiated contract, but she didn't mind.

But Belle had always been a curious woman, and right now she found that she also had a rather poor impulse control. She simply couldn't resist, couldn't withdraw her hand again when her touch seemed to soothe him so much. And so her fingers wandered over his cheek, exploring the slight unevenness of his skin with feathery touches. She brushed his hair out of the way once more only to realize that his curls were softer than they looked (they still were in need of a combing, though). After playing with his hair a while, her hand returned to his cheek again. She continued caressing it, absently listening to the little his presence told her right now. He was still sleeping dreamlessly, and suddenly Belle felt that she shouldn't touch him like this without permission – gods, he asked permission even when he just wanted to sit down next to her. And so her fingers left his face to look for his hand, because she knew that he liked it when she drew circles on the back of his hand. That wouldn't scare him too much if he were to wake up suddenly. He'd find out about the rest anyway, of course, because Belle was sure that she couldn't hide that from him on the next day. They would be holding hands again, and she would think of how she had caressed his cheek when he had been sleeping, and hopefully he wouldn't think of that as too creepy. No, he'd be flustered, probably. Adorably flustered.

Yes, that was a thought for which she would have got a scolding look if he had been awake. Rumplestiltskin still had to wrap her head around the fact that she was positively smitten by him. He didn't understand how she had ever come to think so, but he didn't doubt her. He also didn't think she was mad, which was good. He had looked into her mind, into her heart many times by now, and that meant that there was no way he couldn't accept her feelings as the pure and simple truth. She loved him, and he knew that. She also knew that he loved her. They hadn't yet said the words out loud, but that was fine.

It had only been three days. There were many more days to come. Days they could and _would_ use to explore their newfound closeness and where it would lead them. She wasn't his maid anymore, and she wouldn't stay with him because of that deal he had made with her father. She would stay because they both wanted her to stay. That sounded so simple, suddenly. A week ago she had been lying awake at night, thinking about all the horrible things that could happen if he found out about her powers. And now she was also lying awake, but in _his_ bed. Right next to him, holding his hand and watching him sleep. It didn't matter that her father and her village and probably the whole realm as well would be shocked if they found out. It didn't matter that nobody would believe that the Dark One hadn't needed a spell or a curse to make the poor princess he had dealt for fall in love with him. Rumplestiltskin himself didn't believe that, and she hadn't touched more of him than his hands and now his cheek and hair, and they hadn't yet said the words out loud, but all that was fine. They were going to be fine.

Belle couldn't recall happier memories than those they were making these days. She wanted to laugh, but she bit her lip because Rumple was still sleeping. She also wanted to bury her face in the crook of his neck or to rest her head right above his heart until its steady pounding lulled her to sleep. But she didn't want to close her eyes, and she didn't want to sleep, and so she stayed awake with her own heart frantically beating in her chest. Just to look at Rumplestiltskin a little more.

She should have known that it would have been a good idea to cut their connection. But she didn't want to let go of his hand just as much as she didn't want to stop looking at his face. She didn't even notice how his presence became more and more vivid, didn't realize that her happiness was practically dripping from her fingertips right into his skin. She still wasn't aware of that when Rumplestiltskin opened his eyes. But his confusion about the feelings that weren't his and still _were_ his somehow pulled her back into reality.

They looked at each other for a moment. Rumplestiltskin who still wasn't fully awake tried to blink his sleep and his confusion away until his head cleared up again. And there was it, the brief rush of joy and panic when he realized that Belle was lying right there next to him, holding his hand and smiling at him. He knew that she was smiling because of his reaction, he knew _everything_ that was going on in her mind in this very moment. His head had some trouble to get along with two equally extensive sets of thoughts and feelings right after waking up, but he adjusted surprisingly well and surprisingly quick.

“I didn't mean to wake you up”, Belle whispered.

There was a pause in which Rumplestiltskin just stared at her for another moment. She knew that, if he hadn't been fast asleep a few minutes ago, he would have averted his eyes. But now her giddiness was still seeping through his veins, causing his lips to form a smile that _almost_ resembled hers. His was still far more tentative.

“It's alright”, he mumbled. “I have slept curiously well.”

He almost stumbled over the words, his brogue thicker than she had ever heard before. Frontlands, she observed now. She had suspected it a few times before, but under his usual lilt and giggles it had always been hard to grasp. It broadened her smile even more.

“You can continue, if you like”, she said softly, but he didn't understand in his state of light-headed sleepiness.

“Hmm?”

“Sleeping.”

She had to bite her lip again to stifle a chuckle. Rumplestiltskin noticed that, his eyes dropping down to her lips for a brief second. Somewhere in the back of his head there was the thought of kissing. Belle knew that her cheeks were reddening, and that Rumple wasn't sleepy enough to miss that she had read that particular thought of his. His eyes widened a bit, but she kept him from pulling back his hand and cutting their connection. It took a few moments until he was assured that it was alright, actually more than that, but then he calmed down.

“I'll, uh... pass”, he said under his breath, “I don't need to...”

His voice trailed off and Belle quirked her brow, and he would probably have rolled his eyes if he hadn't been so flustered.

“Sleep”, he defined quickly. “I was speaking about sleeping.”

“I know”, she said, not able to keep from chuckling now.

He gave her a scolding look because she was again thinking that he was cute, but his smile didn't fade from his lips, so his rebuke wasn't that effective. They lay in silence for a while. Rumplestiltskin shifted until he lay on his back. But her hand was still in his, resting on his chest. His fingertips had started to caress the back of her hand, and Belle knew that he had sunken into their connection again. It wasn't as natural for him as it was for her – by now she could share her thoughts and feelings with him like this and still have a proper conversation, but for him it was still hard to concentrate when she granted him insight into her mind. Belle didn't mind, she liked it, in fact. He was enjoying every second of it, and it was enchanting to witness that.

“How long have you been awake?”, Rumplestiltskin asked eventually, his voice soft.

“A while.”

“It's early.”

“Mhhm.”

“Do you want to sleep?”, he asked, worry straining his voice. He was always so worried. Since he knew that it was some kind of unwanted habit of his that he kept her up at night with his presence, he always worried about that.

“Maybe later”, Belle said, still smiling, and Rumplestiltskin nodded.

“I meant that”, he said then.

Belle blinked, not able to follow his mental leap, but she didn't need to ask.

“I really have slept well”, he said as if that was something unbelievable. He looked at her briefly before returning his gaze to the ceiling. “I suppose that credit belongs to you.”

Oh, he already knew of the touching without permission. And he didn't mind, in fact he was _thanking_ her for it. Belle shook her head.

“You don't have to thank me”, she said gently. “I'm always happy to help.”

He chuckled a bit. “I know, sweetheart.”

Oh. _Oh_. So, that was new. Belle's heart began to flutter, and suddenly she found herself all nestled up to him, with her head resting on his chest and her arm across his middle. She had gotten him to take off his waistcoat and exchange his usual leather pants for woolen ones in the evening (because however _lovely_ his choice of clothing was, it couldn't be comfortable). She could feel the warmth of his skin through his thin skirt and also the frantic beating of his heart, and she just wanted to get closer. She didn't ask if it was alright, because every fibre of his presence _vibrated_ with stunned joy. It took him a moment to gather his senses and his courage, but then he hesitantly caught her in his arms. When there was no sign of rejection, his hand began to stroke her back in small circles. She only wore her nightgown, and it wasn't appropriate to be that close to a man that clearly wasn't her husband, but oh, Belle couldn't even think of caring about that. And Rumple surely didn't mind neither. His heart was beating more calmly now and his mind was full of wonder. She closed her eyes.

“It's early”, Rumplestiltskin whispered.

“Mhhm.”

“Maybe we should sleep some more?”

It was a request, tentatively asked. She mumbled her approval. Rumple's hand moved away from her back and found her own. Their fingers entwined. He was still awake when Belle fell asleep, but she didn't doubt that he would follow her soon.

 


End file.
